Category: Communities

Island Journal

Boosting our Small Businesses

When the pandemic shut down the state in March of last year, the impact on small businesses was immediate. The Island Institute knew it had to offer expanded support. For many years, the Institute has offered a professional development grant that helped small business owners get training—things like Quickbooks and… SEE MORE
two geese take flight near an island

Island Journal

All eyes on the Chesapeake

The Chesapeake Bay’s past is the stuff of legend: Pocahontas and Capt. John Smith (well, actually John Rolfe), the rockets’ red glare and the anthem it inspired, the Monitor and the Merrimack, oyster pirates and the “Oyster Navy.” The future, though, is shaping up to be the stuff of hard… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Betsy James Wyeth

The publication you are reading was inspired by Betsy Wyeth. When Betsy, whom I first met when I was eight years old, bought 450-acre Allen Island, six miles off Port Clyde, she asked me to help her figure out what to do with it; within a month or so Philip… SEE MORE

Island Journal

Remembering Hoddy

Photo by Peter Ralston When I think of the essential qualities a Maine person ought to have, at the top of the list is an instinctual recognition—a gut sense—of right from wrong. A Maine person is willing to speak their mind before waiting to join a chorus. They must have… SEE MORE
group of young adults in early 2000s clothing

Island Journal

Two Decades of Fellows Changes Communities

It’s a beautiful coincidence that 2020 is the 20th year of the Island Fellows program at the Island Institute. Twenty years ago, the designers of this program may not have known the level of reach it would have. Fellows came from states thousands of miles away, their projects have touched… SEE MORE
Zain Padamsee

Island Journal

Zain Padamsee Found Himself on Frenchboro

On the top deck of the Henry Lee on his way to live for at least a year on the island of Frenchboro, Zain Padamsee looked longingly back at the mainland fading from view, wondering if he had made a huge mistake. This is it, he thought. No escaping, at… SEE MORE
woman pointing at small white building

Island Journal

Cliff Island — A Labor of Love for Cheryl Crowley

Photos by Lorinda Valls Cheryl Crowley offers a vivid metaphor for the challenges and rewards of working to support a small island community. “It’s like painting a house,” she says. “I hate all the scraping. But then, after the final coat is applied, it’s Ahhhh!” Crowley has been scraping away,… SEE MORE